Fate's Promise
by mirrorsedge14
Summary: What if the Promised Day happened differently? WARNING: Spoilers for FMA:B and the manga Rated T for gore and language
1. Chapter 1

_Fate's Promise_

As Father staggered towards him, Edward jerked his arm, trying yet failing to pull it away from the spike impaling it. He grit his teeth in frustration, shooting a glance at the menacing figure slowly approaching.

"Human… give me… your power!" the creature growled.

Edward's jaw clenched in frustration. He couldn't get free! But he couldn't die… he couldn't….

Then it happened.

The knives stabbed into the wall beside him and he froze. Edward stared. He stared at his brother, the armor in pieces, as he raised his hands to the sky.

"No…" he whispered. "You idiot, stop…. STOP!" But the blue alchemical light lit up the air and Edward could only watch in horror as the young Xingese girl's tears poured down and the armor fell still. And suddenly… he had feeling again. His arm! His arm was back! Blinking back unshed tears, Edward brought his restored arm to his other, forming the prayer-like clap that let the power flow through his veins. The pillar slammed in the creature, Father, and knocked him away.

"YOU DUMBASS!" Edward howled, ripping the spike from his arm. His hair whirled around him and the pure fury he felt gave him the look of an avenging angel. Blue lighting sparked again in a display of pure power. Pillars rushed from the ground, pummeling the creature before him, the creature that caused his brother to give up his life.

A spear formed in his hand, and he flung it with all his strength. It flew straight and true, shearing off the thing's face, causing crimson to spew. The words of encouragement yelled by those around him, his weary, wounded, blood-covered allies, only helped to fuel the raging fire inside. _He _had hurt them. His friends, his family , his fellow soldiers. _He _deserved to die. The words rang around him, pushing him onwards.

"GO!"  
"KID!"  
"GO!"  
"LET HIM HAVE IT SHORT STUFF!"  
"LAY INTO HIM!"  
"EDWARD!"  
"ED!"  
"EDWARD ELRIC!"  
"GO!"

He let out a howl of rage, readying his fist to strike.

"EDWARD!"  
"EDWARD!"  
"GO!"  
"FULLMETAL!"

His cry grew in volume, his fist raised to strike. He leaped and the demon leaped too, its face contorted as it twisted, its hand ready to kill.

But Edward struck first. His fist slammed into the creature's face, sending him flying only to crash to the ground. Edward stepped forward, and that one move seemed to shake the earth.

"Get up third-string!" Edward yelled to the thing. "I'm gonna show you just how out of your league you are!" He was full of rage, watching as the demon pulled itself upright. He howled his anger to the wind, striking devastating blow after devastating blow.

"Why?" The thing sobbed. "Why when I have acquired God… can a mere human… alchemist… bare-handedly…" His thought went unfinished as a powerful blow from Edward sent him to the ground again.

For Edward, all had faded into the background. All there was was his anger and his pain, and his wish to kill this monster.

"He did it!"  
"We won!"

Those cries pierced through his barrier. He was fighting for them. But he knew, Father was not finished. His body pulsed with light, swelling with power as the eye appeared in his mouth, red lightning exploding around him. Winds blew and everything was tainted a bloody red. Edward stared as the creature rose from the crater.

"Stone…" it muttered, its voice gravelly. "Philosopher's Stone!" Red lighting exploded around it and it leaped. Edward moved aside, but the thing was not aiming for him. It flew past, its arm stabbing into Greed. The wind stop, the red tint vanished. Greed writhed in pain, releasing the soldier he had saved.

"Give me… your Philosopher's Stone!" the monster howled.

Greed grasped the arm impaled in his stomach, grunts escaping from between his clenched teeth. Gray matter began to spread up Father's arm. Greed was losing the fight. Unexpectedly, he yelled, "Get over here, Lan Fan!" The female ninja leaped and flipped, slicing through the arm of the demon, the hand still stabbed in the stomach of now just Ling.

"Greed!" he choked, as the blackened hand dissolved.

"Greed!" Edward yelled, dashing forward. He stared at Ling's hand as the Ouroborus dissolved away as well. Father was bent over, moaning in pain. As it straightened, the gray matter quickly covered its body, covering it as the pure form of Greed appeared in its open mouth.

"Greed!" He yowled. "Why do you turn on your father?"

"Call it a delayed rebellious phase, Daddy, sir." Greed said mockingly.

Father's blackened limbs began to crack as Greed slowly killed him, explaining how he was doing it.

"With the carbonizing ability you gave me, I'll transform us into the weakest, most fragile carbon there is!"

"Crafty devil!" the demon murmured, reaching inside its mouth with a shattering hand, pulling Greed out. But Greed would not go.

"Away with you, fool!" the monster howled, severing Greed from its body with a slice of its teeth.

"Greed!" Ling yelled, reaching out for his comrade as he dissolved.

"Ah, damn… this is it, huh?" Greed whispered, as his form continued to disappear. He groaned in pain before arrogantly smirking at the group of grief stricken teens staring at him. "What are you looking at me like that for, puissant?" He asked, irritatingly arrogant, even during death. Their eyes stared him down, some looking at the verge of tears. His last thought was, '_See you later, my soul… friends…_.'

Edward was filled with anger and grief. So many friends, dead. And Greed… they had become friends without meaning to, not realizing until one of them was hovering at death. He screamed his pain to the skies, charging Father with his fist raised. His punch landed, shattering straight through the monster's brittle body. He pulled back, eyeing the perfect hole he made in its chest.

It exploded. What looked like red stained smoke poured out, tendrils spreading into the air. But they all had faces. They were souls… the souls of all the people that evil creature had consumed…. Now they were all set free. Millions, thousands, of them whirled up into the sky. It was a magnificent and fearsome sight. When it was done, the demon, with half an arm and a hole through his chest, staggered.

"My Stone… My Philosopher's Stone…" He moaned, as if in despair. Then, the hands of the Gate began to reach out of the hole in his torso. Edward gasped in shock.

"W-what…?" the creature stuttered. "What is this…?"

Edward looked on, mouth open. Then his face tightened with determination, his mouth shut. "Go back to wherever you were born, dwarf in the flask, Homunculus!" he ordered.

The Gate hands gripped the Homunculus, wrapping it, yanking it into its own stomach. It toppled over, crying out as it was consumed.

"Why? I wanted to know everything about this world! Without being bound by anything! Free, in the vast world! I…!" The creature shouted, before being completely destroyed by the knowledge giver it sought. A flash of red lighting and all was gone.

And the battle was over.

Soon, they were all gathered around the shell that previously held Alphonse. Edward and Mei crouched closer than anyone else.

"What? What happened? Did we win?" Mustang asked hesitantly, his sightless eyes closed.

Hawkeye nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir. However, Alphonse has not returned from the other side."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" May sobbed, her face in her hands.

"It's not your fault." Edward comforted. "It was Al's decision."

"Ed! I've got the toll!" A familiar voice called out. Ling held out a glass bottle full of violet red liquid. "Use it. It's a Philosopher's Stone. Get Al back with it."

The temptation was great, but Ed fisted his returned right hand and replied, "I can't." He punched the ground. His arm shook. "I promised Al that we wouldn't use a Philosopher's Stone to get our bodies back. "

His allies looked on, sorrow in their eyes for the predicament of the saddened young man.

Edward's mind whirled. '_There must be a way. There has to be! Think. Think it through. Keep the thoughts coming!' _He glared at the ground, his body shaking as his teeth clenched together.

"Edward…" He looked up at his father, held up by Izumi. "Use my life, and bring Alphonse back."

Edward gasped in shock, his eyes widening.

"There's exactly one person's worth remaining."

Edward's glared at his father, anger in his eyes. "You dumbass, there's no way I could do something like that! It is our own fault, as brothers, that we lost our bodies! I am adamant that I will not use human lives to get Al back! And why should you need to put your life on the line?!"

"Because I'm his father. " Edward slipped backwards with a gasp. "This isn't about need, or reason. You are dear to me, and I want you to be happy. By neglecting you, I do bear some responsibility for your bodies ending up the way they are." Hohenheim closed his eyes, on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry." Edward stared in shock. "I've lived long enough. At least let me act like a father at the end."

Edward held back tears, looking at his father with stunned eyes. He clenched his teeth and clamped his eyes shut, screaming, "Don't be ridiculous, you rotten father! Don't ever say anything like that again! I'll lay you out!" For the first time in many years, tears flowed down Edward's cheeks from his solemn gold eyes. Hohenheim gasped in shock as he stared at his son, tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Edward."

Edward scrubbed his hand across his eyes, wiping away the tears. He glanced over at the empty shell his brother once inhabited, his jaw clenched. '_Think! Think! You're the youngest state alchemist in history, right? You've seen the truth, so you can transmute without transmutation circles! There has to be a way! There must be!' _His eyes brimmed with tears again as he squeezed them shut. He looked around at his comrades, the battered and bloody people who had fought so hard beside him. The memories rushed through his mind as he remembered the times they told him to never give up, to keep moving forward. '_That's right. Don't give up. There has to be something. Something…. Something…." _He opened his eyes, staring at his two human hands. He gasped in realization, an idea coming to him. A small smile spread on his face.

"Al…" May sobbed. "Al… Al…"

'_May is weeping that much over Al?' _He looked around at his allies and friends once again. '_Zampano… Mr. Gorilla… the guys from Briggs… The major… Ling… Lan Fan… Teacher… Our old man…' _He tightened his hands into fists, his breath coming in gasps. He stood. "May, stand back a bit." The girl looked up at him, tears running down her face. He looked down on her with a reassuring smile. He walked away, grabbing a bent piece of metal from the ground. He took it and began to scrape it on the stone drawing. People backed away, giving him room. He concentrated solely on the drawing, a slight grin on his face.

"That's…" Ling choked out.

Edward looked down at the human transmutation circle drawn upon the ground.

"A human transmutation circle!" he yelled, finishing Ling's thought. He threw the metal pole away. "I'll be right back. This is the Fullmetal Alchemist's final transmutation." He clapped his hands and slammed them to the circle. Blue lighting shone, crackling in immense quantities. Edward felt the power flow through him.

"Ed!" many of his friends called out. Their eyes widened and he disappeared.

Edward landed in a white landscape, the large gate behind him. The white figure before him spoke.

"You're here to bring your brother back, are you? But how will you pull a whole person out of here? What will you pay? Will you offer your body? "

Edward laughed, smirking. "I've got your price right here! This huge thing." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. The white figure stared open-mouthed at him. "This is my gateway of truth. Which means, it's up to me how I use it. Am I wrong?"

The white figure smiled, laughing. "Is that what it's come to? You are willing to give up your alchemy? The only thing that makes you special?" Truth's smile grew even wider. "Good job, Mr. Alchemist, you beat me! However…" Edward faltered at that one word. "You see, it is not only the thing that makes you special, but it is what keeps you alive. I take that, and you die." Edward's eyes widened with horror. Truth laughed evilly. "Don't worry, I see you so much I've decided that we'll bargain! Here's my proposition. Your arm," it pointed to Edward's right arm. "for his soul. Your leg," it pointed to his one remaining leg. "For his mind. And as for his body…" Truth's tombstone teeth were completely bared in an inhuman grimace. "Here is my offer…"

Hohenheim chewed on his lip with worry. It had been so long since his son had traveled to the gate. All of a sudden there was a crackle of lighting and large dust cloud arose. From in the cloud these words were heard.

"Aghh! Brother! You're covered in blood!"

"I was like this before I came and got you. Crybaby!"

"Brother… you… why?!"

The dust cleared and all could see what Alphonse was lamenting about. There they were, a malnourished, nude Alphonse Elric, and Edward Elric, with only one real limb to his name. Tears flowed down Hohenheim's cheeks as he realized the sacrifice his son had made. _'An arm for the soul, a leg for the mind, but for the body…? What could it be?_' Hohenheim's thoughts were cut short by the cheers of the military. Many rushed in to embrace the two. Alphonse ended up in a Briggs jacket with one of his brother's and one of Ling's combat boots on either foot. There was much happiness and rejoicing that day, along with a busy hospital and a sad undercurrent.

~_8 Months Later~_

Edward Elric woke, rolling over to embrace his fiancé, Winry Rockbell. Al was well on his way to healing and Edward had gotten another automail leg, recovering in record time. His brother was currently in Xing with his girlfriend, May, and Edward had rebuilt the house he had once burned down. Ling was made Emperor of Xing and was secretly planning to pass a law that allowed a ruler to wed his servants. Edward was happy for Ling and Lan Fan. They would make a wonderful couple. Roy Mustang had been made the next in line for Furher and had married Riza Hawkeye with permission from her grandfather, Furher Grumman. Riza was now four months pregnant and a Brigadier General in the army, courtesy of General Mustang and a certain relative. Edward had stayed in the military, finding life far too boring, and had managed to become a colonel during his six months of automail recuperation stuck doing desk work. Hohenheim had died and was buried beside his mother. Izumi Curtis and Sig Curtis had adopted a baby girl left orphaned from the war and were happy. Havoc was finally in a steady relationship with Rebecca. Alex Louis Armstrong was now a Brigadier General (no thanks to his sister) and was helping to repair all that was broken. Maria Ross had returned and Denny Brosh was now engaged to her. The wedding was in a month. Scar was helping with the return of the Ishvalens, assisted by Miles. The Hughes were doing well, and Elicia was just now starting first grade. The chimeras were working towards the same goal the Elrics once were: to return to their normal forms. Alphonse felt guilty that Edward had lost more than him. He found it odd that he could no longer remember the events at the Gate or inside it, but Edward had assured him it was alright. All felt right in the world as Winry Rockbell rolled over and kissed her soon-to-be husband.

_~fin~_


	2. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hello all. This is my author's note. NOT A CONTINUATION. I will be writing a fanfiction as a continuation of this though. This is more of… a prequel. I'm sorry if you didn't read the summary and I just spoiled a lot of stuff for you. This was a LOT of fun to write. Most of the dialogue is from the Japanese subs but the other stuff is mine. Well, I hope you liked it, so please leave me reviews! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters which I used in this story and only a small part of the plot line was my idea.**

**~mirrorsedge14**


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